The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Aberdeen chapter.
The Supreme Reading Order of the Maas-verse: Your Guide to Sarah J MaasSarah J Maas writes a lot of books, and it can be intimidating to get into reading her work whenit seems like the stories are never-ending. This is where this guide comes in. I am here to giveyou the best reading order (in my humble opinion) of every book she has written that links intothis particular set of universes. This guide is more important than ever now that Maas is pullinga Marvel and interconnecting her stories. Strap in folks because this will be a long ride!The First FiveThrone of Glass,Crown of Midnight, Assassin’s Blade, Heir of Fire, Queen of ShadowsRealistically, the first five books you should be reading are in the Throne of Glass series. Maaswrote these books first and they are generally accepted as her pilot work into young adultandadult fiction. They are a good starting point for gauging whether you like her writing style ornot. They also introduce the magic that she typically uses and a variety of creatures and otherbeings that crop up in her other work.There is some debate over when you should read Assassin’s Blade. I am of the firm opinion thatAssassin’s Blade makes no sense for a first-time reader if you haven’t read Throne of Glass andCrown of Midnight. You may also think you can skip Assassin’s Blade. News flash: youcan’t.Too Many Fae (why is she so obsessed?)A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court ofFrost and Starlight, A Court of Silver FlamesNext up, I would highly suggest reading the A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series. Thisseries takes place in a different universe from Throne of Glass and is basically an everything-you-need-to-know guide for how Maas depicts Fae. (Think of them like really attractive humanswith pointy ears. Buff, but not too buff.Sexy, but not too sexy. You get what I’m saying.) Thesebooks interrupt the Throne of Glass series because, frankly, you need to have the background ofACOTAR to understand a small detail in a Throne of Glass book.There is a small debate over whether thenovella (A Court of Frost and Starlight) is necessary.Personally, I don’t think it is, but it does provide a nice break from the war, bloodshed, anddestruction of the rest of the books in the series.The Tandem ReadEmpire of Storms, Tower of DawnSo,now we’re back to Throne of Glass. You may be thinking to yourself, Elsa, what’s a tandemread? Dear reader, this is when you read two books at the same time and switch back and forthbetween them. Sounds like a mess? That’s because it is. Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn,take place at the same time, so most people read them in tandem to maintain the timeline. Youcan do this, just know that it is complicated and sometimes boring.I am of the opinion that the tandem read is unnecessary. Just read Empire of Storms and thenTower of Dawn. To me, it’s better to have the two stories be cohesive within their respectivebooks and just deal with the break between Empire of Storms and the final book. There is alsodebate about whether or not you can skip Towerof Dawn. DO NOT! Tower of Dawn may not be
about our favorite main character, but it will be necessary later. (You also read ACOTAR tounderstand a tiny reference in Tower of Dawn. Don’t let that go to waste.)They Have Cellphones NowCrescent City: Houseof Earth and BloodYou’re all probably wondering why the heck we aren’t just finishing Throne of Glass. Bear withme here. House of Earth and Blood provides us with clues about nameless characters in theThrone of Glass finale which means, I think it’s necessary to read at this point. However, thisbook is in a modern setting, which means cellphones, frat houses, and a computer fairy namedDeclan. (We love Declan.) It also tells us all about a wealth of magical creatures that we haven’tbeen introduced to,yet, which will come in handy later.This is a controversial placement of this book and several people out there are probablygrinding their teeth behind their screens. However, I am of the firm belief that you can’tunderstand the significance of the wolf people (and also the Valg lowkey) if you haven’t readCrescent City. I said what I said.Finally Finishing Throne of GlassKingdom of AshNow you can finish Throne of Glass. You’re welcome.In all seriousness, this is one of the best YA Fantasy finales that I have ever read. It is atearjerker. I sobbed so many times in both happiness and despair. It is that good. Also, arelatively happy ending to the series. Yay!Throne of Glass is a completed series which means there will not be any additional bookswithour beloved main character as the main character. However, with what Maas is doing (linkingher universes together) we may see the return of some familiar faces. It’s no guarantee,however, so unfortunately, we part with Celaena Sardothien here.That One Crossover EpisodeCrescent City: House of Sky and BreathThis is the most recent book to be released by Maas and it is a hefty one. Coming in at awhopping 800 pages, this book is not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately for you, dear reader,itis arguably the most important book to the overarching storyline of her body of work. (Sorry,not sorry. But Declan is there, so it’s OK.) The end of this book (no spoilers!!) is where we seethe crossover happen. The rest of the book beyond the last chapter is not super important toget all of the details of, so you could watch a summary video and be fine.I personally would recommend actually reading this behemoth. Yes, it’s long, and yes, thestoryline is a little all over the place, but the point is, it’s kind of like reality TV. It’s fun to watchthis trainwreck of a book happen in real-time.Anticipated ReleasesCrescent City: House of Flame and Shadow, ACOTAR #5House of Flame and Shadow will be the next book to come out in the Maas-verse. This book willfollow the main character, Bryce Quinlan, in the aftermath of the crossover episode. (Plus, youknow, other stuff. Hopefully. I miss Declan already. Don’t worry, he’s not dead.)
The unnamed ACOTAR #5 will hopefully follow the final Archeron sister,Elain, or perhaps Azriel.There are ZERO details of this book online. No hints, no nothing, so we’re all going in blind. Itwill likely take place after House of Flame and Shadow in the timeline